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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/28214160">The Problem</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/hyperborean/pseuds/hyperborean'>hyperborean</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>The Mummy (1999), The Mummy Returns (2001), The Mummy Series</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>F/M, Fade to Black, Friends to Lovers, M/M, Multi, OT3</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-12-21</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-12-21</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-11 01:13:37</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Mature</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>639</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/28214160</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/hyperborean/pseuds/hyperborean</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>"He loves you, you know."</p><p>Evelyn says one morning, before Rick has finished his first cup of coffee.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Ardeth Bay/Evy Carnahan O'Connell/Rick O'Connell, Ardeth Bay/Rick O'Connell, Evy Carnahan O'Connell/Rick O'Connell</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>12</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>85</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>The Problem</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>"He loves you, you know."</p><p>Evelyn says one morning, before Rick has finished his first cup of coffee. </p><p>He stares blankly across the kitchen table at her as his brain reaches for some sort of context. When nothing clicks he checks over his shoulder to make sure she was speaking to him. </p><p>They're alone. </p><p>"Ardeth." She doesn't even set down the section of newspaper she's been holding, her voice as neutral as if she were reading him the weather report. "He's in love with you." </p><p>Rick does set down his section of newspaper, lifts his coffee mug and then sets it down without taking a drink. </p><p>Lifts it again, and empties it in one gulp. </p><p>He crosses the kitchen and pours himself another cup. Slowly.</p><p>He doesn't return to the table. Instead he leans back against the counter and takes a long, long drink of the hot liquid. </p><p>When it's done burning his throat he says "Huh."</p><p>She hides her smile behind The Weather.</p><p>…</p><p>The problem - he thinks later, as he runs errands in town - is that she's not wrong.</p><p>She rarely is, really. While he can think of a couple instances where she was just-so-incredibly-mind-blowingly-breath-takingly wrong, he could probably count the total quantity on one hand.</p><p>It would take a significantly larger number of hands to tally the amount of times he had been wrong. </p><p>She was right, and he'd known it as soon as she'd said it. He'd known it <i>before</i> she'd said it, honestly, he just hadn't quite known that he'd known. </p><p>…</p><p>The problem - he thinks later, as he cleans up after dinner - is that now that he's started thinking about Ardeth, he can't stop.</p><p>He loves his wife, and finds her endlessly sexy. Since they met a decade ago, she had been the sole focus of his affection, and of his lust. </p><p>Yes, there had been other women before her. </p><p>Maybe there had been a couple drunken fumblings with pals in his youth, just out of curiosity.</p><p>And maybe a couple cold nights spent in warm arms while he was in the Legion, fueled by loneliness and a sense of camaraderie. </p><p>But Evelyn had been the only one to take up space within him. The only one to invade his every waking thought, to occupy his dreams, to make his heart skip a beat with nothing more than a glance. </p><p>She'd been the only one, until she'd read him the news that morning.</p><p>…</p><p>The problem - he thinks later, as Evy drifts towards sleep in his arms - the problem is -</p><p>"I love him, too."</p><p>"I know." </p><p>He had thought she was asleep, but isn't surprised she's not. </p><p>"I love <i>you</i>," he says, meaning it with every fiber of his being.</p><p>"I know," her smile is sleepy, but genuine. "I love you, too." </p><p>The problem is, it isn't a problem at all. </p><p>…</p><p>The problem - he thinks two days later, when Ardeth visits them at their flat in Cairo, a common occurrence since their little oasis adventure a year ago - is that he can't figure out how to get these damn robes off while the Medjai’s mouth is doing <i>that</i> to the dip above his clavicle. </p><p>The man has such an uncanny ability to find his sensitive spots, Rick has to wonder if Evy gave him tips. </p><p>Damn it, she probably did.</p><p>Or he's just that good.</p><p>Fuck, he probably is. </p><p>Rick gives up with a frustrated growl, his hands tangled hopelessly in the layers. “Take these <i>off</i>.”</p><p>They both laugh at him. </p><p>“Patience is a virtue, darling,” Evy sing-songs from where she's laying, naked, across their pillows.</p><p>The problem - he thinks, as Ardeth divests himself of his robes and they join Evelyn in a pile on the bed - is that these two are going to be the death of him, and he's all too willing to surrender.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Wow! I havent written for this fandom in *checks watch* 17 years or so. </p><p>This actually started as part of a different Evy/Rick/Ardeth fic I'm working on. It didn't work out there, but I just couldn't leave it alone, so I adapted it to stand on its own. If you enjoyed it, keep an eye out for the next (longer and much smuttier) version I'll have up soon!</p></blockquote></div></div>
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